This quasi-experimental study compares text-centered dialogs between two groups of intermediate second language (L2) French learners: traditional face-to-face (FTF) discussion groups; and groups who annotated and discussed texts through the digital social annotated reading (DSAR) platform, "Hypothes.is." All participants read the same…

Despite the solid evidence that online collaborative writing (CW) tasks benefit language learning, little is known about whether the computer-mediated communication (CMC) modality may impact the potential of online CW tasks in foreign language classrooms. This study examined the effect of task modality on the utility of CW tasks in language…

Reflective thinking, which constitutes an important goal in language teacher education, can be fostered by participating in online communities of practice. This study explored types of reflective discourse generated by novice Spanish language teachers, and associated themes and categories, as they participated in a weekly blog and a…

Text chat facilitates L2 use by providing learners with extended time to plan, monitor, and process production during interactional tasks. However, learners may not naturally take advantage of these affordances, especially for providing peer feedback. This study used video-enhanced chat scripts to examine the behavior of beginner L2 Spanish…

Numerous studies have investigated the effects of prewriting tasks on writing quality and language (e.g., individual vs. collaborative planning, text-chat vs. face-to-face [FTF] discussion, etc.). Recent meta-analyses have found a small advantage for text chat on writing, but no studies involved logographic languages, for which character learning…

Professional isolation, a familiar issue in world language education, has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. This article addresses this issue by providing world language educators with practical guidance related to establishing high-functioning professional networks online. Empirical findings related to computer-mediated communication…

While much second language acquisition research has focused on characteristics of in-class language study, little is known about the characteristics and effectiveness of out-of-class language study. This exploratory study addresses this gap by analyzing questionnaire data from 707 adult students enrolled in intensive (6-16 months) language study…

The present study examines the kinds of emotional scaffolding that occurred in online text chats in Japanese between 19 learners of Japanese at an Australian university and 19 native-speaking students at a Japanese university, together with the emotions that the learners experienced in relation to the scaffolding. The learners chatted in Japanese…

In recent years, research in multimodality has established the benefits of using multiple semiotic modes like image, sound, and text in digital second language (L2) communication. However, researchers have yet to investigate how L2 learners make meaning through embodied modes--or gestures and facial expressions. Grounded in the social semiotic…

This article introduces an empirical study of "Connected Learning" in a Japanese EFL classroom context, instantiated through the Bridging Activities pedagogical framework. Students considered their interests, made groups, and joined Reddit communities. Self-selected texts were then analyzed with rigorous teacher mediation. Students…

Language teachers are often masters of using the physical space in their language classrooms, rearranging furniture, groups, and artifacts to facilitate meaningful encounters with and among learners. Indeed, during the COVID-19 crisis, many language teachers are sharing that these human encounters--reading learners' needs through body language,…

This study investigates the relationship between learner perception, ideology, discourse, and identity in computer-mediated communication (CMC) interactions between an advanced L2 Japanese learner and native Japanese speakers. Study findings show that, despite an invested identity as a proficient user of Japanese, the learner struggled to enact…

Research on social media in the foreign language classroom has grown significantly in the last 10 years. However, there continues to be a gap in how social media, Twitter in particular, can be used as a tool to build community within a Spanish as a second-language literature classroom. The current action research project seeks to address this gap.…

Computer-mediated, communication-based foreign language learning programs are showing great promise. Among these, video-synchronous mediated communication seems to offer an effective way to provide speaking practice, although research findings have been inconclusive. Furthermore, among studies that have documented the effectiveness of…

In the context of learning a second language, the passing on of cultural information as a means to further the development of intercultural competences is primarily viewed as being unidirectional--the "native-speaking culture" passing on information to the language learning student. However, in EFL (English as a foreign language)…